Chapter 4: The Misty Forest, The Serpent Sins, and Heavy Lightning

The Forest of White Dreams was wrapped in a thick, suffocating fog that made it nearly impossible to see two feet ahead. The trees grew in bizarre, twisted shapes, and the eerie silence was only broken by the heavy crunch of twigs beneath their boots.

"This place gives me the creeps," Hawk whimpered, trotting closely between Elizabeth’s legs. "Are you sure one of the Sins is in here? It feels like a ghost trap!"

"Keep your guard up," Rimuru said coolly, her golden eyes casually peering through the dense mist.

[Hyper-Calculation Active]

Atmospheric Condition: Dense optical disruption.

Illusion Signatures Detected: Multiple micro-clones approaching.

Target Identification: Prankster Imps (Hide-and-Seek Imps).

Before Hawk could squeal again, dozens of identical, chubby little creatures with pale faces popped out from the fog, surrounding the party from every direction.

"Turn back, intruders!" the imps squeaked in unison, floating in mid-air. "This forest belongs to the terrifying monster! Leave now, or she will crush you into paste!"

"A monster, huh?" Meliodas chuckled, casually walking forward.

"Wait, Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth called out nervously. "Could they be working for the Holy Knights?"

"No," Rimuru said, stepping beside her sister. "They're just small-time imps acting as meat shields. And they're terrified." She flicked her wrist, letting a tiny wave of latent divine pressure bleed through her disguise. "Out of the way, little ones. We're here to see your boss."

The imps trembled at Rimuru's aura, squeaking in fear as they scattered back into the trees.

Moments later, the ground beneath them began to vibrate violently. Heavy, rhythmic thuds echoed through the mist—not the footsteps of a beast, but the sheer weight of a giant.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The fog parted, revealing a colossal, towering silhouette sleeping soundly against a massive rock face. As the group approached, the giant girl stirred, yawning as twin pigtails floated around her youthful face. She wore an orange jumpsuit and an iron gauntlet on her left arm.

Her violet eyes blinked open, locking straight onto Meliodas.

"Captain...?"

In a fraction of a second, the giant girl gasped, her face flushing bright red. "CAPTAAAAIN!"

Before anyone could react, Diane—the Serpent's Sin of Envy—scooped Meliodas up in her massive hand, squeezing him against her cheek with overwhelming affection. "I missed you so much! I knew you'd come for me!"

"Gagh—good to see you too, Diane," Meliodas choked out from inside her tight grip, entirely unbothered.

"Wait a minute..." Diane's eyes suddenly narrowed as she noticed Elizabeth standing nearby. Her giant hand slammed onto the ground, trapping Meliodas under her thumb. "WHO IS THIS WOMAN?! Captain, are you cheating on me?!"

"She's Elizabeth, the third princess of Liones," Rimuru chimed in with an amused smirk. "And calm down, Diane. You're going to squash the Captain—not that he minds."

Diane froze, her giant eyes snapping over to the smaller blue-haired girl. Her jaw dropped. "R-Rimuru?!"

"In the flesh," Rimuru smiled, waving lightly. "Though I'm currently keeping my true form hidden. It's good to see you, Diane."

"Vice-Captain!" Diane squealed with delight, carefully setting Meliodas down so she could lean in close to hug Rimuru with two giant fingers. "I can't believe it's really the two of you!"

The warm reunion, however, was abruptly shattered.

CRACK-THOOM!

A jagged bolt of light blue lightning ripped through the sky, striking the center of the clearing with terrifying force. The sheer air pressure blew back the surrounding fog, revealing a tall man clad in dark, heavy plate armor. Blue electricity crackled wildly across his shoulders.

"Gilthunder," Meliodas said smoothly, stepping in front of Elizabeth.

The Holy Knight’s cold, blue eyes swept over the group, lingering for a moment on Rimuru before settling on Meliodas.

"Meliodas. Rimuru," Gilthunder said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "To think three of the Sins would gather in one place. I came to avenge my father, the Great Holy Knight Zaratras."

Without another word, Gilthunder moved in a flash of lightning.

CLANG!

In less than a millisecond, Gilthunder was behind Meliodas, his sword drawn and thrust straight toward Meliodas's neck. Meliodas barely tilted his head, catching the edge of the blade on his shoulder as blood trickled down his shirt.

"Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth cried out in horror.

"Stay back, Elizabeth!" Rimuru warned, her hand instantly gripping the hilt of Tempest. Her golden eyes flashed dangerously as she prepared to step in, but Meliodas subtly raised a hand, signaling her to hold off.

Gilthunder pressed his sword deeper, leaning close to Meliodas's ear.

"I am no longer the weak child you once trained," Gilthunder spoke, his tone heavy and unnaturally rigid. "I am now stronger than anyone in the Eight Deadly Sins."

Meliodas’s eyes flickered. A sharp spark of realization crossed his mind.

'That phrase...' Meliodas thought, his mind racing back to a secret code they had set years ago. Gilthunder was telling him—without saying it aloud—that he was being watched, or held hostage by an invisible threat.

"Is that so?" Meliodas said calmly, a small smirk playing on his bloody lips. "You've definitely gotten stronger, Lil Gil."

Realizing his message had been received, Gilthunder shifted his stance, channeling a massive burst of electrical magic into his blade. "Thunder God's Judgement!"

A massive pillar of lightning erupted, scorching the earth. Diane slammed her massive hand down, blocking the worst of the shockwave, while Rimuru stepped in front of Elizabeth, casting a swift, invisible layer of her Absolute Defense to completely shield her sister from the flying debris.

When the dust cleared, Meliodas lay flat on the ground, looking beaten up. "Hey... you certainly got stronger, didn't you?"

Gilthunder leaned closer, lowering his sword. "Of course. I'm much stronger now, and the legendary Sins are merely outdated legends. As a gift to take to the underworld... I can tell you that your friend, the Fox Sin, Ban, is currently spending his life in Baste Prison. And the Grizzly Sin, King, has gone to rest in the Capital of the Dead."

Meliodas's face instantly lit up. He bounced up off the ground, entirely uninjured in spirit. "Well, thanks, Lil Gil! Hear that, guys? I think our next destination is set!"

Before Gilthunder could react, Meliodas delivered a lightning-fast counter-punch, sending Gilthunder flying through several stone pillars until he crashed in the distance, badly bruised.

"We will settle this another time, Meliodas," Gilthunder said coldly, rising through the rubble. With a final flash of blue lightning, he vanished into thin air.

The clearing fell silent, save for the crackling of scorched grass.

"Are you alright, Sir Meliodas?!" Elizabeth ran over, her eyes full of tears as she fussed over his bleeding shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Meliodas laughed, casually sneaking his hand onto her waist until Rimuru yanked him back by his collar again.

"Give it a rest, Meliodas," Rimuru sighed. She turned to Elizabeth with a soft expression. "Don't worry, Eli. I can heal him."

Rimuru placed her hand onto Meliodas's shoulder. In a flash of warm light, every cut and bruise on Meliodas's body completely vanished.

Meliodas looked at his fully healed shoulder in surprise. "Hey... how did you do that? I thought you said your magic was almost entirely drained..." he asked.

Rimuru signaled Meliodas to keep quiet, answering telepathically through their mental link: 'My power is slowly returning ever since I reunited with Elizabeth. But keep it a secret for now—I don't want to trigger Eli's memories prematurely or alert my mother.'

Meliodas nodded subtly, his mental tone turning quiet and solemn. 'Then... what about your memories of him (Diablo)?'

A sharp wave of sadness flickered across Rimuru's eyes. 'They're still fragmented... whenever I try to reach for his face or his name, my head feels like it's going to explode. So please... don't ask again just yet.'

'Got it. Take it easy,' Meliodas replied gently, breaking off the mental connection. 'At least your strength is coming back.'

Smoothly switching back to her spoken voice, Rimuru offered a seamless cover story for Elizabeth and Diane. "I've always had basic healing abilities, but it usually drains quite a bit of my magic, so I rarely use it. Still... I wouldn't want our Eli to be sad, so you better not make her worry, Meliodas."

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Rimuru!" Meliodas grinned, turning to reassure Elizabeth. "See? Good as new, Elizabeth!"

"Thank you, Rimuru-san," Elizabeth said, her eyes still filled with concern. "But are you okay? Did that healing magic drain you?"

"Don't worry, Eli, I'm completely fine," Rimuru smiled warmly. "Oh, and... you don't mind me calling you Eli, right?"

Elizabeth’s breath caught. For a fleeting microsecond, a blurry mental image flashed through her mind—a beautiful, radiant figure with long silver hair calling out that exact nickname in a place above the clouds.

"I... I don't mind at all," Elizabeth whispered, a single stray tear unconsciously slipping down her cheek. "Actually... it feels like someone used to call me that a long time ago. But it's weird... I can't seem to remember who."

Rimuru wiped the tear away with her thumb, giving her little sister a bittersweet, gentle smile. "Don't stress yourself over it, Eli."

"Alright! Now that we've found Diane, let's keep moving to find the rest of the Sins!" Meliodas cheered, casually wrapping an arm around Rimuru's shoulders like a buddy.

Rimuru let out a dry chuckle, though her mind was already running tactical pathways for their upcoming travels. "So... Ban is in Baste Prison, and King is in the Capital of the Dead."

"Yep!" Meliodas grinned. "Looks like our map route is laid out!"

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